Life-boat.



No. 845,620. PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

. G. 0. DITTON.

LIFE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1906.

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' PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

G. 0. DITTO NL LIFE BOAT. APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1906.

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GEORGE O. DITTON, OF'LANOKA, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EUGENE A. RUMSEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

LIFE-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed May 23, 1906. Serial No. 318,365.

To on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. DITTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lanoka, in the county of Ocean and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in life-saving apparatus, and comprises a novel form of boat which is adapted for use by lifesavers, being especially designed to sustain the severe usage incident to passage through breakers when launched from shore. However, a boat constructed in accordance with the invention is readily susceptible of use as a lifeboat for large vessels in view of the fact that it will readily live in heavy seas with safety to those carried therein.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a life-boat embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the boat. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a view in section showing more clearly the pipes connected with the water reservoirs or compartments used for ballasting the boat. Fig. 5 is a view embodying a modified form of the invention and showing a special construction of sectional ballasting, the hull of the boat being broken away. Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the air-pipes. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the oar-lock at the stern of the boat. Fi 8 is a broken sectional view showing the valve arranged at the inlet end of the airpipes.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the hull of a boat, said hull being provided with an upper deck 2, which closes the upper portion of the boat in such a way as to prevent shipping of large quantities of water which might sink the same. Suitable railings 3 are used to prevent operators from slipping off deck and rails 5 to enable the boat to be readily grasped by operators, particularly when preparing to launch the boat in breakers or holding the boat as the same is brought to the shore after having made a trip. Adjacent to the bow and stern of the boat are located the hatches 4 and 5 and at the latter hatch is preferably arranged a flexible casing 6, made of rubber or strong substantial waterproof material of suitable nature,'said casing 6 having transparent plates applied thereto and being adapted to receive the upper portion of the body of an operator, who by the provision of the casing is enabled to manipulate a steering-oar 7, mounted in an oarlock 8 at the stern of the boat. The rubber casing 6 is of course attached to the boat at the hatch 5 in such a way as to prevent entrance of water, and this casing may have arm portions to receive the arms of the operator, as shown most clearly in the drawing. The operator who handles the oar 7 can stand on a platform 9 in the rear end of the boat. In addition to the hatches 4 and 5 a third hatch 10 or a number of such hatches is preferably located at the central portion of the deck2 and the operators as well as passengers on the boat may readily enter the same from the hatch 10.

It is contemplated that the boat may be propelled through the water by a suitable propeller 11, connected with a motor or en gine 12 of any suitable construction, and if such motor be a gasolene-engine a storage tank or compartment 12, shown at the bow of the vessel, will readily contain the supply of hydrocarbon.

Air is supplied to the boat by means of suitable air-pipes 13 and 14, the former having the inlet ends 13 thereof projecting upwardly from the deck 2 and thence downwardly. The pipes 13 enter the boat through the deck 2 and terminate suitably within the hull 1. The portions of the air-pipes 13 within the hull 1 preferably extend through the sides of the hull and terminate at this point, as indicated at 13*. Each of the pipes 13 has a branch 14 extending therefrom intermediate of its ends and in communication with the interior of the boat. Valves 15 and 16 are provided for each pipe 13, the valve 15 being so located as to readily close the open end of said pipe which leads through a side of the hull 1. Valve 16, however, is designed to overn the passage of air through the inlet en 18 of the pipe 13 into the boat. The operation of the valves 16 and 16 will be more fully described hereinafter. Suitable lockouts 17 are of course provided and project slightly from the upper side of the deck 2, being of a sufficient size to at least receive the head of an operator. Steering mechanism comprising the steering-wheel 18, connected with the rudder 19, is provided and is preferably used only when the boat is passed through breakers up on launching of the same.

The ballast necessary for preserving the equilibrium of the boat and preventing capsizing thereof under ordinary conditions of service is secured, preferably, by the provision of water reservoirs or compartments 20 in the bottom of the hull 1 and located upon opposite sides of a longitudinal line medially of said hull. The reservoirs or compartments 20 may be constituted by elon gated tanks, and each reservoir has a pipe 21 communicating at one end therewith, the other end of such pipe 21 leading upwardly along a side of the hull and passing at its up per end through the hull and terminating at such point. A valve 22 is located near the upper end of each pipe 21 and when open permits of the water in the reservoir 20 to escape therefrom through the pipe 21 after the boat has been capsized. The filling of each reservoir or compartment 20 is governed by a valve 23, which when open permits water to enter the compartment and when closed prevents water from so doing.

In actual operation it will be observed that should the boat be capsized by heavy seas or otherwise the operators in the boat can readily open one of the valves 22, whereupon water in the compartment 20 adjacent to said valve 22 will be permitted to escape from the compartment through the pipe 21, in the length of which said valve 22 is situated. The weight of the water in the other compartment 20 will then be sufficient to cause the boat to right itself, after which the valve 22 may be closed and the valve 23.0f this tank opened to permit water to again enter said tank and properly ballast the boat in an evident manner. As soon as the boat is cap- I sized, it will be obvious that the inlet ends 13 of the pipes 13 will be submerged and water would ordinarily readily pass into the boat through said pipes. Provision is made against this, however, by the use of the valves 15 and 16. On capsizing of the boat the valve 16 is quickly closed by the operator shutting off passage of water through the said pipe 13 and branch 14 into the boat. At the same time the valve 15 of each pipe 13 will be opened and any water in pipes 13 will pass therefrom. Of course when the boat has been capsized the pipe 14 which may be suitably valved, will be sufficient to supply air to the occupants of the boat temporarily. It is preferred, in order to more fully avoid likelihood of entrance of water through the pipes 13 just as the boat is capsized, that the 1 inlet ends 13 of the pipes 13 be provided with valves 24, adapted to automatically close on capsizing of the boat. The valves 24 will close either by gravity, as in the 0011- struction illustrated, or they may be otherwise automatically operable.

Under some conditions it may be desirable when the boat is used for other than life-saving purposes or in heavy seas that a temporary ballast be provided in the form shown in Fig. 5. In this instance weights 25 are attached to the bottom portion of the boat, interior thereof, and preferably secured to a fin forming a part of the keel. The weights 25 afford a sectional ballasting for the boat, which may be readily removed through portholes 26 and which may be quickly placed in position as necessary for the various operations in which the boat may be used.

It is contemplated that the details of construction as hereinbefore pointed out may be modified somewhat in order to accommodate for various conditions of service.

The valves 24 when the boat is upright are adapted to automatically operate to prevent entrance of water in the upper ends of the pipes 13 as waves splash upon the deck of the boat about the inlet ends 13' of the pipes 13.

Adjacent the gasolene-reservoir 12 is located a vertical pipe or tubular body 27, the upper end of which is normally closed by a water-tight cap or like part. This tube or pipe 27 is adapted to support sectional spars or a mast of any suitable type which will carry a sail. It will be understood that the mast and sail would be utilized should the engine or motor be put out of service from any cause, or the two propelling means may be utilized auxiliary to one another.

Having thus described the invention, what is. claimed as new is- 1. In a life-boat comprising a hull, an inclosing deck therefor, air-pipes for supplying air to the interior of the boat and leading from a point exterior thereto through the interior of the boat to the exterior, valve means for cutting off communication of the air-pipes with the interior of the boat, and other valve means for permitting water entering the airpipes to pass therefrom.

2. In a lifeboat comprising a hull, an inclosing deck therefor, air-pipes for supplying air to the interior of the boat'and having the opposite ends thereof leading through the hull and deck of said boat, valve means for governing the passage of air from the airpipes to the interior of the boat and adapted to cut off such supply of air, other valve means for closing the outlet end of each airpipe when the air is being supplied to the interior of the boat by said pipe, the last-mentioned valve means, however, being operable to open the outlet end of each air-pipe and permit of escape of water which may be received in said air-pipe 3. In a life-boat comprising a hull, an inclosing deck therefor, the air-pipes 13 for supplying air to the interior of the boat and having the opposite ends extended through the deck and hull of the latter, the upper end of each air-pipe 13 being extended downwardly and provided with an upwardly-seating valve for the purpose specified, the valve 16 arranged intermediate of the ends of each airpipe and governing the supply of air to the air-pipe and the interior of the boat, and the valve 15 located in the length of the pipe 13 between the lower end of the latter and the valve 16, said valve 15 being closed when air is being admitted by the valve '16 to the intei rior of the boat, the valve 15 being opened when the valve 16 is closed to permit passage of Water from the pipe 13.

4. In a life-boat comprising a hull, an inclosing deck therefor, water-tanks at the bottom of the hull and at opposite sides of a longitudinal line medially thereof and constituting displaceable ballast, valve means for supplying water to the tanks, and valved outletpipes for the tanks, the valves for the outletpipes being independently operable to effect displacement of the water from either tank to cause righting of the boat after capsizing of the same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE M. LANE, D. A. STULTs. 

